The International Cricket Council has officially warned Sri Lanka over preparing a poor pitch for a Test match against Australia during last month's series.

The ICC's general manager Dave Richardson said that the pitch prepared for the first Test match in Galle "should be rated as poor."

The pitch heavily favoured the bowlers by offering sharp turn and uneven bounce, causing 16 wickets to fall on the second day alone. Australia won the match by 125 runs and won the three-match series 1-0.

The match referee Chris Broad, who officiated in the Test, rated the pitch as poor in his report. Richardson and the chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle then reviewed the report and video as well as a response from Sri Lankan cricket authorities before imposing a warning instead of a $15,000 (£10,000) fine.

"It was clear from the video footage of the match that the amount of turn, especially early in the match, was excessive and there were occasions [even on the first day] where the ball went through the surface of the pitch, bouncing unusually steeply from a good length," Richardson said.

"Whilst we do not wish to see a pitch that is too heavily weighted in favour of the batsmen, in this instance, the balance was just too much in favour of the bowler."

The venue's international status could be suspended in the case of repeated offences.